Hello Hockey Faithful!
First, and as always, I want to thank you for your continued support of our game. Your unquestionable passion and loyal dedication, even through these tough times, is the reason why our community has survived and is also the reason for this announcement. For more than a year, WIS has faced layoffs, cut backs, and priority changes due to the economic climate and decisions made by our parent company. The usual updates to our games have not been coming at the speed you all have been used to and expect. We know this and have been doing everything we can to get approved for more resources and time to focus on our core games. The good news is that things are starting to look better and we can see a light at the end of the tunnel!
Based on overwhelming feedback, we're aware that you want to know the status of our hockey dynasty project. I'm VERY pleased to be able to tell you that we have been given the thumbs up for hockey, basketball and football dynasty games! While we may ultimately be overruled, I believe the argument is as good as any to push for the hockey dynasty being the first one we tackle. I feel this way for several reasons. First, I strongly believe we can provide a hockey dynasty experience unlike anything currently on the market, meaning we'd have a larger potential audience than a sport such as football where there are lots of established products already out there. Secondly, Patrick Miller (patrickm885) and I have already hammered out a full design document for this game, which is essentially more than half of the overall work on a project like this. And last, but not least -- we have you guys on our side!
What time frame are we talking here? Over the next few months, our current resources will be stretched thin on other projects. When these start to wrap up and we hopefully acquire more resources, a decision will be made on which dynasty game to start with. As some of you know, I've been pushing for a hockey dynasty for years, so Patrick and I are volunteering some extra time to do something we think will help tip the scale in our favor -- and also a way of involving all of you in the process.
We've gotten permission to open up parts of the hockey dynasty document and share them with all of you! We'd like to get your feedback, suggestions and criticisms on the most important parts so we can mold it into a game you, and many hockey fans alike, will truly enjoy. You have always given great feedback, and we feel by discussing the key components with all of you, we can solidify an already good design document. So when the time comes to start working on this soon, it will make perfect sense from all aspects to start with the hockey dynasty!
So what happens next? All SimLeague Hockey players will receive a new survey on their "My Locker" page. It will be a brief survey to find out what you consider the most important parts of the game. We will use your responses to help us determine which parts of the game to discuss first. Our time frame is tight and we have a lot to discuss, so we're going to get the ball rolling as soon as possible on this. Stayed tuned, and as always, thank you for your support!